Kyle Orland /

Recent stories by Kyle Orland

1. BioWare reveals Dreadwolf as the next Dragon Age title

   New game will focus on antagonist Solas, won't be coming before 2023.

   Kyle Orland – 6:28 pm UTC

2. Employee’s family drops wrongful death lawsuit against Activision Blizzard

   Parents asked for dismissal "with prejudice" earlier this month.

   Kyle Orland – 2:57 pm UTC

3. Two European countries won’t get Diablo Immortal because of loot box laws

   Belgium, Netherlands ruled in-game random item boxes "illegal gambling" in 2018.

   Kyle Orland – May 31, 2022 4:04 pm UTC

4. Microsoft’s plans for an Xbox streaming stick head back to the drawing board

   Company is "pivot[ing] away from the current iteration" of its "Keystone" device.

   Kyle Orland – May 27, 2022 3:21 pm UTC

5. Are we on the verge of an 8K resolution breakthrough in gaming?

   Studies show extremely diminishing returns from pushing out even more pixels.

   Kyle Orland – May 26, 2022 9:00 pm UTC

6. War Stories: How Gears of War almost didn’t have multiplayer

   Gameplay designer recalls early multiplayer map tests were "always a train wreck."

   Kyle Orland – May 26, 2022 4:05 pm UTC

7. After 30 years, the world can now play the lost Marble Madness II

   Scrapped Atari arcade rarity traded trackballs for joysticks—was it the right call?

   Kyle Orland – May 26, 2022 10:45 am UTC

8. Sony’s classic games blunder: Why PAL isn’t your friend

   First-party PlayStation Plus classics launch at slower 50 Hz standard.

   Kyle Orland – May 24, 2022 4:30 pm UTC

9. PSA: Fund your 3DS and Wii U digital wallets today before it’s too late

   Spend money now to make purchases before the shutdown next March.

   Kyle Orland – May 23, 2022 3:34 pm UTC

10. Blizzard offers refund for nerfed $25 Hearthstone card

    Original buyers get in-game gold—and they can keep the card.

    Kyle Orland – May 20, 2022 4:15 pm UTC

11. We made a PlayStation Plus explainer that’s better than Sony’s [Updated]

    Breaking down Sony's confusing messaging with easy-to-digest tables and lists.

    Kyle Orland – May 18, 2022 3:49 pm UTC

12. Sony reportedly forces Insomniac to stay silent on abortion rights

    Sony agrees to match corporate donation but refuses to speak publicly on the issue.

    Kyle Orland – May 17, 2022 3:54 pm UTC

13. Social media sites work to limit spread of Buffalo shooting footage

    Twitch says livestream of attack was taken down in "less than two minutes."

    Kyle Orland – May 16, 2022 3:21 pm UTC

14. Microsoft looking at ways to “validate” Xbox discs for disc-drive-free consoles

    Patent application shows secondary device authenticating discs for digital download.

    Kyle Orland – May 12, 2022 3:20 pm UTC

15. Judge brings dismissed Steam antitrust lawsuit back from the dead

    Amended Wolfire suit is now "sufficient to plausibly allege unlawful conduct."

    Kyle Orland – May 11, 2022 3:37 pm UTC

16. EA Sports officially ends FIFA partnership after 30 years of games

    FIFA promises to partner with other developers for "the only authentic, real game."

    Kyle Orland – May 10, 2022 7:43 pm UTC

17. Sony expects PS5 will still be in short supply until 2023

    60% increase in annual console production not expected to satisfy customer demand.

    Kyle Orland – May 10, 2022 3:46 pm UTC

18. Today’s intended Wordle solution pushed to 2027 due to “major recent news event”

    "FETUS" edit comes as NYT says game should "remain distinct from the news."

    Kyle Orland – May 9, 2022 3:52 pm UTC

19. Museum rigs up multi-screen N64 GoldenEye to prevent “screencheating”

    Step one: Spend thousands on outdated CRT signal-processing tech.

    Kyle Orland – May 8, 2022 12:00 pm UTC

20. Eve Online fans literally cheer Microsoft Excel features at annual Fanfest

    New Javacript API will "simplify the access to data for all," developer says.

    Kyle Orland – May 6, 2022 4:30 pm UTC

21. Major mobile publisher buys Wordle! (but not the game you’re thinking of)

    2016 app with a now-popular name now belongs to multi-billion dollar AppLovin.

    Kyle Orland – May 5, 2022 7:45 pm UTC

22. Bungie offers strong support for abortion rights amid Supreme Court leak

    Destiny developer is one of a handful of tech companies speaking out.

    Kyle Orland – May 4, 2022 9:52 pm UTC

23. NY Times says Wordle drove “tens of millions” of new users, record growth

    But there are already signs that the game's "audience may moderate over time."

    Kyle Orland – May 4, 2022 4:18 pm UTC

24. Nintendo Switch Sports players are breaking TVs like it’s 2006

    Flying Joy-Cons recall the errant Wii remotes of the mid-'00s.

    Kyle Orland – May 3, 2022 4:33 pm UTC

25. Judge dismisses “insufficient” copyright claims in Destiny 2 cheating case

    Ruling also cites license agreement to force circumvention claims to arbitration.

    Kyle Orland – May 2, 2022 3:22 pm UTC

26. So long, Wordle—Knotwords is my new daily word-game obsession

    The unique, logic-heavy combo of crosswords and kenken tickles my brain just right.

    Kyle Orland – Apr 29, 2022 5:40 pm UTC

27. The best games we played at PAX East 2022

    Turtles, bungee grappling hooks, and the French countryside all feature.

    Kyle Orland – Apr 29, 2022 11:00 am UTC

28. Sony stops “stacking” of cheap PS Plus subscriptions ahead of relaunch [Updated]

    Existing subscription time will be converted to tiered structure in June.

    Kyle Orland – Apr 28, 2022 4:26 pm UTC

29. Call of Duty cheaters are being struck blind by anti-cheat software

    "Cloaking" mitigation makes cheaters unable to see opponents, incoming bullets.

    Kyle Orland – Apr 27, 2022 9:28 pm UTC

30. Diablo Immortal was built for mobile, but now it’s coming to PCs, too

    30 million have preregistered for June 2 launch, which now includes a PC open beta.

    Kyle Orland – Apr 25, 2022 4:05 pm UTC

31. In rare interview, Monkey Island designers tell Ars about long-awaited Return

    The new title will eschew pixel art, embrace hint systems.

    Kyle Orland – Apr 25, 2022 11:29 am UTC

32. Paradox gives its official blessing to Vampire: The Masquerade fangames

    Fangame developers can even profit, as long as Paradox gets its 33 percent cut.

    Kyle Orland – Apr 22, 2022 1:27 pm UTC

33. Leaked Game Boy emulators for Switch were made by Nintendo, experts suggest

    "I'm 99.9% sure it's real" one expert source tells Ars.

    Kyle Orland – Apr 19, 2022 5:23 pm UTC

34. Rockstar edits out “transphobic” content from GTA V remasters

    Apparent change comes after pressure from press, LGBTQ+ developers.

    Kyle Orland – Apr 18, 2022 3:24 pm UTC

35. Scalpers gouge Lego fans desperate for freebie Skywalker Saga minifigure

    Collectors paying $50 or more for freebie from $70 Deluxe Edition game.

    Kyle Orland – Apr 13, 2022 4:01 pm UTC

36. EVE Online’s success shows why gaming doesn’t need NFTs

    Developer CCP says it has no blockchain plans "for the foreseeable future."

    Kyle Orland – Apr 12, 2022 5:35 pm UTC